Citation

Lerner A, Fost N. Pediatrics 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Departments of Pediatrics and Medical History and Bioethics and.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Academy of Pediatrics)

DOI

10.1542/peds.2019-1985

PMID

31645457

Abstract

There are 2 to 4 million tackle football players in the United States under the age of 19. Concerns are growing over the safety of the sport, particularly with regard to short- and long-term effects of brain injury associated with concussions, also known as mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Once thought to be a transient and relatively innocuous injury, we now know the symptoms and underlying neuropathophysiology of concussions often last for weeks to months and sometimes longer. There is increasing evidence that subconcussive trauma can be associated with debilitating neuropathology, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). American football, with its high incidence of concussion and participation rates, causes the majority of sports-related brain injuries among our nation’s youth. Per season, individual players experience 100 to 1000 head impacts, and an estimated 53 000 to 178 000 school-aged players sustain at least 1 concussion.

In response to these concerns, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness published a policy statement in 2015, “Tackling in Youth Football.” In this article, we expand on published criticisms of the AAP policy, particularly its reliance on informed consent as a justification for youth participation in tackle football, summarized in the statement, “Participants in football must decide whether the potential health risks of injury are outweighed by the …

Language: en